I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately,
to front only the essential facts of life
and see if I could not learn what it had to teach,
and not, when I came to die,
discover that I had not lived.
- Henry David Thoreau Walden
Tongaporutu, NZ
Tramping is Kiwi slang for hiking or trail-walking, and opportunities to get out and go for a tramp abound. It's pretty much as easy as stepping out your front door. In most of the larger cities, there are trail-heads often accessible from within the city limits. On our first visit to New Zealand, we traveled by caravan, and many of our hikes began after pulling over for a rest break only to find a track leading off from the parking area.
For the more adventurous, there are countless tracks (hiking trails) for everything from day-hiking to multi-day tramps. The Department of Conservation maintains over 950 huts. Many are just 4 plank walls and a tin roof, others may have double-glazed windows and insulation. Some even boast electricity and running water. Most huts have a firebox for heat and cooking, while some have an open fireplace. We have even seen huts with gas cooking ranges. In total, there are over 1400 huts spread throughout the backcountry. Some huts do charge moderate fees during peak season; however, most are first come, first served.
Most of the tracks are over Conservation Land ... public land administered by DOC. This includes National Parks, Forest Parks, and Reserves, but much of the tramping we have done has been through a mix of public and private sections. Approximately 1/3 of New Zealand's land is designated as National Parks and Reserves. Most of the tracks do not require permission or fees.
Nine of New Zealand's most stunning multi-day tramps have been designated as "Great Walks" with a 10th set to open in 2018. Our trip down the Whanganui River (Link: The Land That Time Forgot) was part of the Whanganui Journey, one of three Great Walks on the North Island. We also completed the Tongariro Alpine Crossing (Link: In The Shadow of Mt Doom), which was one section of the Tongariro Northern Circuit. Most recently, we spent 4 days on the Queen Charlotte Track (Link: The Long Walk). We went into it thinking it was one of the Great Walks, only to discover that it was not. Six of the Great Walks, as well as the new Pike29 Memorial Track, are on the South Island, leaving only one of the North Island Great Walks for us to complete. (We really didn't "complete" the Tongariro Northern Circuit, but I don't see ever convincing Kari to do the Crossing again, so that will have to count!)
Lunch Break - Whanganui River Journey
Central Crater - Tongariro Alpine Crossing
Kenepuru Sound - Queen Charlotte Track
One of the first tramping excursions we made was to the 'Naki (Link: Baches and Cribs). We spent a day connecting several trails on the slopes of Mt Taranki. We started out tramping through the Goblin Forest, then dipped our feet in Wilkies Pools. Our reward afterward was cheese toasties (grilled cheese sandwiches) and ice-cream. We finished at Dawson Falls and headed down the mountain to finish our day at the beach.
Goblin Forest detour
Wilkies Pools
Dawson Falls
Most of our tramping in NZ has been simple day-hikes. There are several trail-heads within a short drive of where we live. One of the most popular trails follows the Manawatu Gorge, climbing steeply out of the gorge, then following the ridgeline for approx 10 km, and ending near one of our favourite cafes. Unfortunately, part of the track was closed after a slip (rock-slide) in Sept/Oct 2016. There is a shorter loop at the end closest to Palmy. It's not a very challenging walk, and the views of the gorge aren't spectacular, but what makes this track unique is the predominance of the giant maidenhair fern, a plant found only in the Manawatu. It's also where I took my first New Zealand bird pic.
A short drive outside of town gets us to the Totara Reserve. At 340 hectares, it encompasses river flats, rolling hills, and steep mountains, all encased in a podocarp (coniferous) forest. New Zealand's podocarp forests date back 70 million years. Unfortunately, nearly 80% of the native forest has been cut down over the last 250 years, and only 10% of what remains is considered "native" habitat. The Manawatu Gorge area is part of the Kia Wharite Project which aims to restore the balance.
We spent time walking up a stream bed and into a cave system to look for glow worms. Elsewhere in the reserve, we made a loop along a ridgeline looking over the valley below.
Apiti Glow-worm Caves
Totara Reserve Fern Walk
In August 2016, a Czech woman was found in a DOC Warden hut where she had been holed up for a month. She and her partner were caught outside in freezing weather and spent the night exposed to the elements. The next day, disoriented in the snow, wind, and fog, her partner fell down a steep slope and died. She spent two more nights outside before locating a Warden's hut closed and locked for the season. She managed to break in to find it stocked with food and a heater. There was a radio, too, but she was unable to understand the English-language instructions. It was a month before her relatives in Europe raised the alarm and the search began.
A little closer to home, two men in their 30's, both experienced trampers, were found dead on the Tararua Track this past November. The circumstances surrounding their deaths still aren't clear, but autopsy reports support the initial impression that they died of hypothermia. In the words of the Wairarapa Area Commander, Inspector Donna Howard, "Regardless of whether you're heading out for a few hours or a few days, or how experienced you may be, being prepared and properly equipped is vital ... be prepared, plan carefully, know your limitations, dress appropriately ... "
For any given adventure, our daypacks are stuffed with sunscreen, wide-brimmed hats, water-resistant outer shells, woollies, and toques. We carry extra water, snacks, and a mini survival kit. Most importantly, we tell someone where we are going and when we expect to return, and we sign the logbooks at trail-heads and shelters to say "we were here".
As easy as it is to access tracks for tramping here, hiking in New Zealand is not without its dangers. The weather here is truly variable ... a day that starts out grey and windy can turn warm and sunny in minutes but finish with a torrential down-pour. Add in elevation changes and crossing mountain saddles from windward to leeward and back again, and you have the recipe for every season in a single day. We watch the weather and plan our tramps accordingly. In the end, we try not to worry about what might happen while maintaining a healthy respect for what could happen.
Stepping out our front door and going to the woods is one of the many reasons we chose to spend this year in New Zealand. Thoreau wrote "I lived there two years and two months. At present I am a sojourner in civilized life again." We have lived here 6 months, and would like to think that we are pretty civilized while we continue to explore our wild side.
Let's be careful out there ...
